Survey reveals best and worst car insurers

Insurance is an expensive and often complicated business, so it makes sense to buy your premium from a vendor that will keep the misery, cost and fuss to a minimum. But separating the good from the bad can be time-consuming.

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Fortunately for motorists, the 2013 Auto Express Driver Power Survey has done the job for you. It asked more than 46,000 motorists to rate their provider in the following areas: communication, time to settle a dispute, value for money, overall service and helpfulness.

NFU Mutual topped the list with an impressive overall score of 89.09 per cent. Auto Express noted: “Drivers are wooed by the local customer service and attentive staff. NFU’s cover isn’t the cheapest but many drivers tell us they like not having to talk to a call centre.”

LV=Frizzel secured second place with an 88.27 per cent score having been praised for its “glowing” customer feedback, while Adelade IAM Surety and its “brilliant value” came in third place with an overall satisfaction rating of 87.94 per cent.

Of the 40 insurance companies reviewed, Diamond did anything but sparkle. Motorists were said to be unhappy, giving the firm a satisfaction rating of just 74.24 per cent.

“Rock bottom ─ that’s where Diamond finds itself. And it’s difficult to blame any part of its service as the company is criticised across the board,” Auto Express said. “A number of motorists complained about errors on their policy while one respondent told us they waited an unforgivable two years for a claim to be resolved.”

“Communicating with Diamond seems to be a challenge for policyholders too, while one disgruntled customer summed up the service by telling us: ‘Bit pricey and it made a mistake about the cost of the policy’,” it added.

Besides listing the 40 best and worst car insurance providers in the UK, the survey also revealed the cheapest overall provider. Looking for quotes on a 25-year-old sales manager with a Ford Fiesta, a 40-year-old publicity manager with a Vauxhall Insignia and a 55-year-old dentist with a BMW 530d, Esure quoted £601.32, £217 and £205, respectively.

Other good news: Only 35 per cent of respondents saw a year-on-year increase for the cost of car insurance ─ a reduction of 15 per cent on last year’s total.

The full list of results found in the latest Auto Express is as follows: